Reviews by troegaarden:

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1pt.9.4oz caged-and-corked behemoth received courtesy of the outstanding ShroudOfDoom. According to a stamp on the neck, this was bottled on November 7, 2013. Also according to the label, this is 11% alcohol, and it was aged for three months in oak casks used to age bourbon. If that is correct and my math holds, this was put into those casks about a year ago.

When I popped the cork, there was a very quiet “pfft.” Poured into an Iron Goat snifter, this was a dark clear amber that took on an opaque russet color once in the glass, with a thin, sudsy, beige colored head. Said head didn’t stick around too long, but a respectable foam ring reappeared whenever the glass was agitated (as opposed to merely anxious). Spotty lace.

Initially, the aroma was of brown sugar and bourbon, in that order. As it warmed, the woodsiness of the oak came out to play, along with a mild, toffeeish sweetness. There’s just a hint of tropical fruit-like hops as well.

Whoa! The toffee is much more of a blast (in a good way) that just didn’t come through nearly as much in the nose. It’s balanced by the boozy whisky notes. There’s some vanilla notes, some dark fruit flavors, and even some pineapple. As it warms there’s definitely some alcohol heat, but it’s not overpowering. There’s a slight dryness at the swallow.

Though not remotely a light bodied beer, this was a lighter in the body than I expected for a barleywine, with a creamy, coating mouthfeel.

A great after-dinner beer after six consecutive work days. Big and boozy but not over the top about it. Definitely not a session beer, and I anticipate not wanting any more for tonight when I finish this big fella, but damn it’s good. With this less than a year after bottling, I’m curious what this would be like after it’s aged some more, when the hops completely fade and the booziness mellows more. Really glad to have been able to try this, and I hope this someday joins the list of Victory beers available around here.

A - pours a hazy very reddish brown - almost pink when you hold it up to the light. The thin head is gone quickly and no lacing left behind. There is a thin but constant stream of slowly rising bubbles.

S - rich caramel with some floral hints of hops and something that I can’t put my finger on.

T - matches the aroma with rich caramel and a good dose of bourbon. The barrel aging is really working well here. It doesn’t quite hide the bite of Old Horizontal.

M - carbonation is next to non-existent. Leaves a nice bitter on the back of the tongue that lingers long after.

O - This is a good one. Particularly if you are partial to Old Horizontal to begin with. I’ll have to set at least one bottle aside for while. Hopefully a little age will smooth it out even more.

Crystallized/caramelized light brown sugar immediately swept away by bourbon and ABV. Once the nose settles down, there's light molasses and more caramelized brown sugars, with notes of unfinished oak wood and hints of dark red fruit. As it warms and opens, orange rind and hints of vanilla appear; butterscotch appears later. The nose is the most enjoyable part of this bottle. Assertive without being pushy, it's nicely nuanced and accessible for exploring. The rough oak floats to the front, and then into the background, back and forth.

Taste is moderately toasted malt, toffee/caramel, and molasses that gets overrun right away by the booze and moves directly to the finish. Finish is dominated by a bitter wood sensation that sits in the middle of the tongue, with a bit of maple sugar on the sides. Red fruit sugars remain on the lips. The lack of integration between the beer and the booze is a problem here. Letting the beer sit and warm in the glass helps take the edge off, but the dry pine hops and rough oak remain front-and-center, making this a bitter barleywine – it gets almost medicinal. I've decided to use the 2nd half of the bottle for a slow-cook pork roast.

This beer could use some more time – at least a couple of years – to age and mellow in the bottle. As it is now, it's a rough, boozy brew with a bitter finish that feels like doing shots. If you have a bottle of this and you're thinking about waiting, do so. This one is a strong argument for releasing big beers in 12-ounce four-paks; I'd have three more I'd know what to do with. This beer is also one of the booziest brews I've had in ages; so many big beers do a great job of hiding and integrating the ABV into the taste profile. This one is still pretty hot, and only time can fix that. If it ages into the nose, it will be worth the wait. If nothing else, the hop bitterness should subside, and that would be a big plus.